All That You Can't Leave Behind

Recently transferring from the US to Europe for a spell I faced a dilemma that some of us here on MFC have faced before - what to bring and what to store (or sell/donate) when moving temporarily to attend university or for employment. Fortunately my firm offers secure storage when transfers abroad come up so cost wasn't an issue - otherwise I'd be renting space on my own and/or selling a chunk of PVC (along with other stuff) to the highest bidder.

So the challenge was what to bring and what not. In terms of this hobby, one of my key objectives after accepting the transfer was maintaining the ability to do figure displays and pics on occasion but not overburden my new digs with a bunch of boxes or risk shipping figure display cabinets. Especially given my plans to continue buying figures here and there (scales primarily), ensuring some space for future purchases was also a must.

In the end I decided the solution was to limit figures to four large (trunk-size) boxes for figures, which I filled with a few 1/3 dolls and accoutrements, a chunk of boxed scales, and most all of my Figmas and Nendoroids (sans boxes) + gashapon figures. This figure footprint coupled with a separate smaller box of some of my Western toys and figures really saved on space.

As a result, numerically speaking, I'll have more figure display and diorama options albeit at the 1/12 and 1/18 scale rather than the mainly 1/6 scale that I've preferred up until now. It's also worth noting that if I hadn't brought the 1/12 and 1/18 figures but used that space for more scales I estimate I could have brought 5-7 additional scales. For me, the trade-off of having access to a large group of smaller figures in lieu of a few more scales was worth it.

Now, having gone through this experience I'm curious as to how other collectors would divide their collection in similar circumstances. Similar choice? Prefer to bring only a larger group of scales from your collection and store the rest including the smalls? Or perhaps you would instead take a different approach? Forgo bringing furniture and dishware, choosing to dine off plastic plates and recline on shipping boxes in order to keep your entire collection with you?

Finally, if you're curious as to what made my cut (many NSFW) here's the link to what came with me:

OceanRoost (Il y a 3 mois) #45082240Yes it is!
Same here, and it would be worse with things I'm already attached to. If you've got good free storage, might as well use it!
I love seeing things for YYH. One of my all time fav anime's.

That would be how I felt, if I could store them I would - I couldn't even imagine having to sell them if I couldn't store them and or take them with me

ChibiSaturn (Il y a 3 mois) #45079251Unrelated, but is that Puu I see there in your icon?
I get nervous enough having one figure shipped to me, I'm not sure how I would handle a mass shipment of them. I'd probably have a heart-attack and then it'd all have been pointless anyway.Yes it is!

Same here, and it would be worse with things I'm already attached to. If you've got good free storage, might as well use it!

OceanRoost (Il y a 3 mois) #45077783I totally agree with you! Even if it was for a year or two there's no way I would risk bringing things over just for a temporary resettlement. The fact that anything makes it over here across the sea in one piece is a miracle in and of itself, I wouldn't want to chance it multiple times.
Unrelated, but is that Puu I see there in your icon?

I get nervous enough having one figure shipped to me, I'm not sure how I would handle a mass shipment of them. I'd probably have a heart-attack and then it'd all have been pointless anyway.

ChibiSaturn (Il y a 3 mois) #45075885I think personally I probably wouldn't bring any of them with me if it was temporary. I would rather not have them around me then have them break / get lost in transit (which is entierly possible and would be heartbreaking). I can't even fathom having to pack them up to move them if it was something permanent. Honestly, the idea scares me so doing it for something temporary would seem... pointless to me? I'd just rather they be safe then have them move with me & risk getting ruined. Especially, since quite a bit could not be replaced so easily.I totally agree with you! Even if it was for a year or two there's no way I would risk bringing things over just for a temporary resettlement. The fact that anything makes it over here across the sea in one piece is a miracle in and of itself, I wouldn't want to chance it multiple times.

I think personally I probably wouldn't bring any of them with me if it was temporary. I would rather not have them around me then have them break / get lost in transit (which is entierly possible and would be heartbreaking). I can't even fathom having to pack them up to move them if it was something permanent. Honestly, the idea scares me so doing it for something temporary would seem... pointless to me? I'd just rather they be safe then have them move with me & risk getting ruined. Especially, since quite a bit could not be replaced so easily.

gundamuk (Il y a 3 mois) #45053457Fortunately my firm offers a generous transfer package that includes up to 7500 kilos shipping for a relocation. And if I were to extend I could stay here for a while so having access to some of what I already have made sense.
You're right about attachment to figures - None of us need figures in our lives, but since we're all members of this site I'd think most of us agree that we bought what we did as we like having them around. Now if I didn't have the shipping/storage options available to me personally I would have purged quite a bit so as to bring nearly nothing and leave only a token collection in storage.

So I might be wrong in my understanding, but the way I understood it in regards to us collectors is that while we definitely want to have our items around, we don’t necessarily need them to be visibly around us. Our main focus as collectors seem to be in securing the item I.e. buying it and getting it shipped to our care. We may then keep it visible, unboxed, or even keep it in a storage facility. But it doesn’t generally worry us since we know the item is securely in our collection.

But, in your particular case, it appears that you have formed such a strong bond with part of your collection to the extent that it makes its absence from your vision undesirable. It’s not even an anxiety of lending it to someone or doubts over the security of the item while it is separated from you. It is purely the absence of it within your reach that seems bother you. I think that is probably not something most of us collectors can identify with. Personally, there isn’t a single figure in my collection that would bother me if it were still in my collection and secure, but absent from my ability to enjoy it for sometime. That is why I asked if you were THAT attached to a figure. It’s something very foreign to my experience. There were figures I would take with me when I was a kid. I even took DVD copies I owned of my favourite movies with me when I travelled far lol. But I can’t recall feeling the same about anything nowadays....

AshuriiKareshi (Il y a 3 mois) #45048074I know this isnt exactly relevant but I love it when people from the US say they're going to Europe like It's one big country.
"I'm going to Europe"
Well if you're going to England you need an umbrella, going to Italy becareful of cars, going to France... well with everything going on becareful, going to Spain bring suncream. (I could go on but the only places I've been other then the UK is Italy XD)

I feel you... I always cringe at these situations. I mean, maybe people don't want to tell exactly where they're going, it would be understandable. But I can't count each time we're labeled as one big country, even in American shows. Come on, we have names and borders...

Anyway, gundamuk, you're pretty brave... It must be painful to have to make these choices. And good luck for your new life, I hope everything is going to be fine ^^ (since you already went to Italy it should be ok ^^)

KalasRaven (Il y a 3 mois) #45046819snip.Ahh, too late. It is probably a bit of overkill but I've already brought what I did.

Your college collection was a nice broad selection - and you have a nice figure collection and other fun interests. I didn't have any figures around when I was in university, although I did have a couple vintage Megos on a bookshelf when in grad school.